There will always be some sort of adventure in your travels, whether you like it or not. The few places I visited, I have had my share too. Be it getting out at the wrong destination or travelling in a new city using the public transportation, you have to admit that you end up having a good laugh in the end.
One of the more recent adventures I have had, and I must say I did enjoy, was my trip to Panchgani. As it is only 2.5 hrs from Pune, technically you don’t need to book bus tickets as the buses are available every 45 mins. Now, technically is applicable only in the off seasons. So we (I, my sister and a friend) planned this trip in the month of April. When the 7:45 am bus arrived, there was a huge crowd that ran in its direction. Everyone who is familiar with the Pune crowd won’t find this very strange.
So my friend managed to shove a few people around and got into the bus. She could get hold of only 2 seats. We looked at each other in desperation as we knew that one of us would have to stand in the bus for the entire 2.5 hour journey (which would eventually take 3 hours, thanks to the traffic). We were not in a mood to wait for the next bus, so we just stood in the gangway aimlessly. Seeing our plight, the bus conductor asked what is going on and we explained our situation. He then said there is one more seat is available- the one next to the driver (basically the bus conductor’s seat). As beggars can’t be choosers we said yes and paid for the ticket. I opted to sit next to the driver.
It was quite an experience. I had a better appreciation for all the comfortable travelling in the past. I was also quite grateful to the conductor who offered me his seat and chose to sit down. I did pay him a little extra after we got off at Panchgani. He deserved it because, the ride ended up being a long one and it got really warm in the end. All in all it was a fun experience. Usually I am not the whole spontaneous kind of a person- but then you don’t get to have these kinds of adventures either!
Here are some pictures I took :)
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| Traffic Jam at the Ghats |
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| The bus conductor |
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| Enroute |
2 comments:
This was one of the finest post you have written so far! Kinda reminded me of your writings when you were in school! Good humor...
And thank you for being gracious and opting to sit near the driver.
Thank you!! I enjoyed reliving the experience:)
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